Latham Still Hasn't Announced Bonuses But Has Offered Associates A Gift Basket!!!
Remember when the firm caused a COVID outbreak? Good times.
Some firm gifts are terrible. Some firm gifts are awesome. But the cardinal rule of all firm gift-giving is this: after mid-November, do not give ANY gift until announcing bonuses.
At all.
Because it’s tacky. Associates are waiting at their screens for an official, all-hands email to tell them they can finally ward off that student debt collector for another year and then they get an email with a subject line like “Associate Holiday Gift” and open it to find… a fruit basket? The hell?
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
We’re not teasing on the fruit basket bit either. As one Latham tipster put it: “while Skadden is giving people iPads and Apple pencils and magic keyboards they’re giving us a fucking $65 basket of pears.”
And that’s the thing — Skadden’s tech gifts or the Sidley AirPods are perfectly fine gifts but both of them were dropped on associates before hearing a whiff about bonuses, turning both announcement messages into psychological torture for associates nervously waiting to see what the market will bring. But after getting over the initial shock and horror, at least associates got something cool. Latham associates are… less-than thrilled with their baskets:
Latham & Watkins NY released their holiday gift today and we got gift baskets after they gave people Covid at the holiday party. What a slap in the face. Allegedly Skadden got iPads and Davis Polk got Pelotons last year, but we get a cookie and Covid.
Sponsored
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
And even though the bonuses themselves aren’t out, the firm informed associates at a meeting last week that the Class of 2021 would not be getting special bonuses. We held off on reporting that because we hoped — for Latham’s sake — that this was just someone speaking out of turn and that the real bonus announcement would properly match Latham’s peers.
But it’s been over a week since that meeting and the firm hasn’t sent out an announcement. Some firms have already sent out TWO bonus announcements this cycle before Latham’s figured out how to fire off one.
Enjoy your pears, everyone!
Joe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.